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Millions of Ethiopians go to polls in general elections

Sunday, 24 May 2015 4:43 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 24 May 2015 4:52 AM ]

A placard and two electoral posters are pictured at a polling station in the Cazanchise area of Addis Ababa, May 23 , 2015, ahead the 5th Ethiopian general elections. (© AFP)

Millions of people begin casting their votes in the general elections in Ethiopia, with the ruling party being expected to keep an overwhelming majority.

Polls opened at 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Sunday across the country and will close at 6:00 p.m. (1500 GMT).

Over 36.8 million people of a population of 94 million have registered to vote in the national polls, with 47 political parties and 5,819 candidates competing to make their way to the parliament and regional councils.

The ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, is likely to achieve another sweeping victory in the 2015 vote. It has held power in the country for 24 years and currently has 546 seats in the 547-seat parliament.

This is the first parliamentary vote in Africa’s second-most populous country since the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who ruled the country for 17 years. Zenawi’s successor, Hailemariam Desalegn, is expected to stay in office with the anticipated win for the ruling party.

An Ethiopian flag, instructions on the voting process and a poster with the competing parties are pictured at a polling station in the Cazanchise area of Addis Ababa on May 23 , 2015, ahead the 5th Ethiopian general elections. (© AFP)

Addis Ababa has allowed the African Union to send a team of 59 officials to monitor the elections. The country has, however, rejected the presence of European or US monitors in the elections, saying their attendance would harm the credibility of the African observers.

The preliminary results of the vote are expected to come out within five days, and the final official tallies are to be released on June 22.

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